HMS Vanguard
The HMS Vanguard was the last battleship launched by the United Kingdom, being launched in the year 1946, too late to see action in the Second World War. After her sea trials, served briefly as the transport for King George VI's visit to South Africa in 1947, and in 1949, she became the flagship of the British Mediterranean Fleet. During the 1950s, it was decided that the Vanguard would be modernized to serve as a counter to the large numbers of Soviet Sverdlov-class heavy cruisers, and would also be modified to carry surface-to-air missiles. From 1959 until 1960, the ship underwent extensive refits to carry the Seaslug surface-to-air missile. From then on, the Vanguard underwent repeated refits to arm it with the latest surface-to-air and anti-ship missiles. The machinery was also replaced with a fission reactor in 1991, and a fusion reactor in 2029. The Vanguard was finally destroyed in 2077 during a nuclear attack on her home port of Portsmouth. The ruins of the ship remain beached on the shores of Portsmouth Harbor. Design Armament As originally designed in World War II, the HMS Vanguard carried a main armament of eight 15-inch guns in four twin turrets. The 15-inch armament was chosen over the heavier 16-inch guns of the previous Nelson-class and the cancelled Lion-class battleships as the 15-inch guns were readily available. The 15-inch guns were capable of firing a 1933 pound (876 kg) shell at 750 meters per second with a normal propellant charge and 800 m/s with a heavier "supercharge", with a range of up to 34 kilometers. As the 15-inch gun had been in service since the First World War, this main armament earned the Vanguard the nickname "The Battleship with her Grandmother's Teeth". In addition to the main guns, the Vanguard carried 16 5.25-inch guns in eight twin turrets and 53 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns. In 1959, ship was modified to carry the Seaslug surface-to-air missile, with two launchers replacing four of the 5.25-inch gun mounts amidships. In 1971, the missile armament was further augmented with a pair of Sea Dart SAM launchers replacing the forward and aft superfiring 15-inch turrets. The remaining four 5.25-inch twin mounts were replaced with four Mark 9 5-inch single mounts, which, while firing a lighter shell, had a far faster rate of fire thanks to their automatic loader, and were more more accurate than the older guns. In 1991, the ship again underwent a major refit. In addition to replacing the conventional power plant with a fission reactor, the Sea Dart launchers were replaced with two 32-shot Sea Wolf vertical launch systems, and 20-shot anti-ship missile launchers were mounted aft of the aft 15-inch gun turret. Four 20mm computer-controlled point defense Gatling guns were also installed for close-range anti-missile defense. In 2029, along with the replacement of the fission reactor with a more efficient fusion reactor, the Vanguard had the VLS launcher modified to operate the new Sea Bolt surface-to-air missile, as well as upgraded anti-ship missiles. The 15-inch guns were also modified to allow use of laser-guided rocket-assisted shells with an effective range of up to 100 kilometers. The final change in the armament came in 2041, when the 20mm point defense guns were replaced with four computer-controlled Gatling lasers. Armour Powerplant Specifications (2077) *Type: Guided Missile Battleship *Displacement: 44,500 long tons (45,200 t) *Length: 814 ft 4 in (248.2 m) *Beam: *Draft: *Installed Power: *Armour: *Sensors and Processing Systems: *Armament: **2x twin BL 15-inch (381 mm) guns **4x single Mark 9 5-inch (127mm) guns **4x Mark 2 point defense Gatling laser turrets **2x 60-cell vertical launch system for Sea Bolt SAMs **1x 20-cell vertical launch system for supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles Operational History 20th Century Early 21st Century European Wars After recently receiving its final upgrade in 2056, the HMS Vanguard was activated during the European Wars, and deployed as part of a battlegroup centered around the aircraft carrier HMS Churchill, to the North Sea to blockade the Greater German ports alongside the French Navy. During this period, the Vanguard captured two German vessels attempting to run the Anglo-French blockade. The Vanguard's first shot fired in the conflict was on May 4th, 2060, when the Vanguard intercepted seven German anti-ship missile and three aircraft with her Sea Bolt SAMs and point defense lasers. In the coming months, the ship would destroy 26 missile and 12 more aircraft, effectively protecting the Churchill from German air attack alongside the rest of the battlegroup. On October 22nd, 2060, she would score her first ship kill, sinking a German fast attack boat with an anti-ship missile. The Vanguard would return to Portsmouth on January 11th, 2061, and subsequently serve three more tours of duty in the North Sea between 2061 and 2065, her missile accounting for over 30 aircraft kills and two more German surface units sunk. On June 12th, 2065, the Vanguard was in port at Portsmouth when the city was attack by the bombers of the German Luftwaffe. The Vanguard used her SAMs and point defense lasers in support of the air defenses and RAF fighters defending the city, downing at least six German bombers and intercepting multiple anti-shipping and cruise missiles. The Vanguard received only minor damage in the attack, though it did delay her departure for three months. On March 24th, 2067, the Vanguard was deployed as part of a British fleet sent to liberate Gibraltar, which was taken by the Spanish in July 2060. The Vanguard destroyed a Spanish destroyer and a frigate with her anti-ship missiles, and subsequently fired her main guns in anger for the first time in the conflict, first finishing off a Spanish frigate crippled and forced into port by air attacks, and then shelling Spanish troops in support of landings in Gibraltar. During the six month campaign, fired hundreds of 15-inch shells, including rocket-assisted guided shells with a range of over 80 kilometers, providing valuable support for the Royal Marines and destroying dozens of Spanish artillery batteries, troops concentrations, and SAM positions. In the end, while the British had succeeded with effectively annihilating the Spanish Navy, they were unable to advance beyond the Gibraltar peninsula, and were forced into a stalemate reminiscent of the Battle of Gallipoli almost 150 years previously, and were forced to withdraw. With the destruction of the Spanish fleet and much of the coastal defenses, however, landings in the Spanish-controlled territory of Cueta on the African side of the Strait of Gibraltar proved successful, seizing the territory on April 19th, 2068. This would pave the way for a second invasion in 2070, which would prove more successful, retaking Gibraltar and also capturing the cities of Tarifa and Algeciras, though the mountainous terrain to the north hindered advances deeper into Spain. In 2071, Vanguard would see another tour in Europe, the most notable event being a long-range missile duel with the German missile carrier Lutjens. The two ships exchanged over a dozen missiles at a distance of around 150 kilometers, all of which were intercepted by point defense systems, before a British anti-shipping missile made it through the defense of Lutjens and struck the ship in the forward vertical launch system, detonating the warheads within and sinking the ship. Vanguard would return to her home port in 2072 for routine maintenance, before seeing tour of duty bombarding shore targets in support of British operations in Nigeria and in support of their French allies in the Congo. While the firepower of her 15-inch guns and missiles was impressive, managing to destroy a number of strategic targets, the nature of the guerilla war in Africa, where target locations were spread out and rarely known limited her effectiveness. After another refit in 2072 to early 2073, Vanguard would see two more tours of duty in northern Europe and one in the Mediterranean before the returning to port for the final time in June 2077. Fate At roughly 3:00 PM GMT, hundreds of ICBM and bombers were detected heading towards the United Kingdom. The weapons were mostly launched by the Greater German Reich, though it is likely some were Soviet and Chinese warheads were also deployed as the nuclear powers all launched attacks on their neighbors. The Vanguard went on full alert and activated her point defenses system. Vanguard's Sea Bolt missiles and point defense lasers, along with those of other Royal Navy warships managed to shoot down at least a dozen bombers, and even managed to intercept two nuclear warheads inbound for Portsmouth. The Vanguard's anti-ballistic missile systems, however were limited, and could not stop the tide of at least eight nuclear warheads fired at the Navy base. At 3:21 PM, at least one warhead detonated above HM Naval Base Portsmouth. The superstructure of the Vanguard was instantly set ablaze and any crew one the deck or in the superstructure were incinerated. At the same time, the blast wave unseated the burning wreck from her moorings and pushed her across the harbour. HMS Vanguard came to rest on her side about 100 meters from the present shoreline, on top of the wreckage of what was once a warehouse. The heavily armoured hull of the ship remained relatively intact, but highly irradiated. Most of the crew below decks who survived the blast were killed by radiation poisoning. In spite of this, there are at least two surviving ghouls who claim to have been part of the crew of the Vanguard the one the day the bombs fell. About 20 years after the bombs fell, radiation levels had dropped to the point that it was safe for humans to enter the area of the Portsmouth harbour. The remains of the Vanguard were picked over by scavengers, looking for any valuable items that might have survived the blast in her heavily armoured hull. Among the items looted from the Vanguard include two of her surviving 5-inch secondary guns, the small arms in her armory, various electronic components, and the shells for her primary and secondary guns, which were either used as ammunition for surviving artillery pieces where they were available, or the explosives were removed and used for making improvised explosive devices. The remains of the Vanguard can still be found to this day, laying beached where the blast left them over 200 years ago. Category:Vehicles Category:Technology Category:Weapons